


Never Doubt You're Worth It

by Nachura



Category: I Love Yoo (Webcomic)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Blushing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Language, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Not Canon Compliant, Omega Verse, POV Alternating, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22112539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nachura/pseuds/Nachura
Summary: Just two broken people trying to make it work.
Relationships: Hirahara "Nol" Yeong-Gi/OC
Kudos: 10





	Never Doubt You're Worth It

**Author's Note:**

> This work doesn't really pay mind to any of the events of the original story, so don't break your brain trying to figure out how this fits with the canon timeline. It doesn't.

Yeong-Gi met Reia through Shin-Ae. She was a quiet omega that sat next to Maya in their class. He didn't have much of an opinion of her until he realized that she was subtly avoiding him. Then his curiosity was immediately sparked. She was cool and polite, but always found a reason to talk with whomever was farthest from him. 

After several get togethers he was starting to take it personally, until he realized she also seemed to shy away from Dieter. He figured it was probably an alpha thing. Still, it was kind of entertaining to unnerve her with his kindness. Part of him wanted to know just how far her patience would stretch. 

Endlessly, he discovered. It seemed at some point she'd flipped the script on him. She clearly enjoyed his mounting frustration as she remained calm and polite. Eventually he gave up. 

And it was like the spring thaw. The first time she joked with him he forgot to laugh, he was so shocked. She still kept a physical distance, but he smiled feeling the bloom of a new friendship. 

From that point on Reia would sometimes see a movie or go to a cafe in a group with him even if her other friends were busy. 

One evening he decided to stop by Shin-Ae's to drop off something she'd forgotten at work. He was surprised when Reia answered the door. 

"Oh! Hey. I was just stopping by to give something to Shin-Ae. Is she here?" 

"Oh. Um… No. She went to the theme park with Dieter today. I can put it in her room if you want?"

"Ah. That was today?" He felt like an idiot now. Dieter was super excited about today. "...Do you live here?"

"Uh. No. I just crash with Shin-Ae some times."

He could see the discomfort his question created, so he dropped it. "Sorry. That was nosy of me."

She shrugged it off, "Do you want me to take that thing for Shin-Ae?" 

"Sure!"

He took Shin-Ae's scarf out of his jacket pocket and handed it over. There were an awkward couple of seconds where neither of them moved. 

"I'll go put this with her stuff then." Reia said, closing the door. 

Yeong-Gi put his hand out before it could close all the way. "Hey, why don't we grab some dinner? It's gotta beat hanging around the house."

"I don't really have the extra cash right now."

"My treat?" 

"I probably shouldn't." 

He leaned down so he was looking up at her, since she'd been staring at the floor. "But you want to?"

"Why do you have to grin like that?" 

Was that a blush? He'd gotten a blush. 

He straightened up and looked her over before taking a more serious tone. Her eyes followed his face. "You know I'd never hurt you, right?" 

The look on her face was unreadable and she didn't respond, eventually looking off to the side.

"Oh." He took a step back, "I'm sorry. I can back off if I've been too much. I really do like hanging out with you."

"No. It's not… it's not you. Alphas… scare me." The last part was barely a whisper. 

He took in the way she stood. Her neck exposed and shoulders hunched. The submission she exuded. And he almost growled, catching it just before it became audible. He knew that look. He knew what it felt like and he sure as hell wasn't going to make it worse. 

"I'm sorry." He hoped she would understand everything he meant in those two little words. He waited until she met his gaze, "I'll see you around." And offered a soft smile before leaving.

______________________________________

  
  


Reia didn't know what to make of Yeong-Gi. Sometimes he was so forward, so predictably alpha. But then he would surprise her. She never knew an alpha to defer to her, to any omega. 

He seemed so friendly. She really liked him, but she was warring with herself. She never wanted to be helpless again. She couldn't put herself in that position. 

She was kind of… shaken, after he'd stopped by. The way he'd said he was sorry. And then he just left. It was like he'd flipped a switch and turned the 'alpha' off. 

She was still thinking about it when there was a knock at the door. 

Reia was immediately suspicious. Perhaps she'd judged him to soon. An alpha just couldn't take 'no' from an omega. She opened the door with the coldest glare she could muster. 

And was met with the owlish look of a delivery person. 

"I... didn't order anything?" 

The woman confirmed the address, "Well, it looks like your lucky day! The order's already been paid for. Here." 

Reia was left with her arms full of bags that smelled delicious. She was kind of dumbfounded as she started setting things out. There were four entrees and an entire bag of sides. 

Now she knew that she'd definitely misjudged him, and she kind of felt like an ass. She wanted to thank him, but was all out of texts and she didn't want to use the last of her minutes on a personal call, so she guessed she'd wait until the next time she saw him. 

Which turned out to be monday after class got out. And of course Maya immediately picked up on her awkward blush as Reia thanked Yeong-Gi, and teased her incessantly for it all the way back to her place. 

"It's just nice to see you taking interest in an alpha. Well, in anyone really." Maya was in high spirits having gotten such a rise out of her normally aloof friend. 

"I've never met an alpha like him before."

"Maybe that's because you never let them meet you."

"Well, I 'let' your brother meet me. Don't act like I never make exceptions." 

Maya made a noise of derision, "Anyone with eyes can see that Min-Hyuk is the least alpha-ish alpha out there. He doesn't even count."

After a beat of silence she continued, "Yeong-Gi on the other hand, he's tall and handsome. And you can see how beefy his biceps are even through his uniform. He could really take care of you."

Maya's salacious tone did not at all fit the impact her words had on Reia. She'd pointed out the exact things that made Reia so hesitant around him. He was undeniably alpha and being near him filled her with anticipation and shame and  _ fear _ , "I don't want to talk about this anymore." 

______________________________________

  
  


Later that week Yeong-Gi stopped by Shin-Ae's.

"Hey, is Reia here?" 

Shin-Ae's smile vanished and she narrowed her eyes, "No, she's probably at work. And I think she's staying at Maya's tonight. How 'bout you come in?" 

"Ah, no it's okay. I was just-"

Shin-Ae's gaze turned to ice and he snapped his mouth shut, "Come in." 

"Okay." 

Yeong-Gi sat at the table while Shin-Ae made some tea. Things had never been awkward between them, but he couldn't think of another way to describe their current situation. Except maybe  _ openly hostile _ . He drummed his fingers for a moment before attempting a joke that died in his mouth when he looked over and could practically see the hostility radiating off Shin-Ae. 

A cup of tea was unceremoniously set before him, "Thanks-"

Shin-Ae was still standing, looming above him, "What do you want with Reia?"

The tension melted out of him, "Oh, is that what this is about?" He laughed, "Are you jealous?" He added an eyebrow waggle.

His charm had no effect. 

"I'm not going to sit around and watch you toy with my friend." 

"I'm not toying with her. I just enjoy spending time with her. I want to get to know her better."

She looked him directly in the eyes, "Stop. You're going to hurt her. You don't understand how fragile she is."

He was a bit indignant at that and his alpha instincts chafed at the command. He could tell something was going on with Reia. He wasn't blind, "I can see the trauma she's carrying around. I'm not going to hurt her." He looked away, "I can tell that I freak her out sometimes. I'm not going to push her."

"She's happy now. You weren't there. You don't get it." Shin-Ae was pacing, "She never used to smile. She never used to laugh. Just leave her alone. Just let her be happy." 

"I can. I can make sure she stays happy. I can be there for her." 

"She's  _ my _ friend! She doesn't need you! She has us!"

Shin-Ae was shouting, but his response was barely a whisper, "But she wants me there."

"No!  _ You're  _ the one who wants  _ her _ . She would  _ never _ let an alpha have that kind of power over her. She would  _ never  _ choose you." 

It was like a slap in the face and suddenly he was standing. "You're not listening to a word I say! I'm not going to hurt her! I thought it was nice that you were looking out for her, but just maybe you should think about letting her make her own decisions instead of going behind her back and trying to make them for her!" 

He grabbed his jacket to leave, but stopped with his hand on the knob. Much more quietly he gritted out, "I know what it's like to be forced to submit. I would  _ never _ do that to anyone." 

And then he left. 

______________________________________

Yeong-Gi was acting weird. Maybe this was part of 'backing off' or something, but she was regretting having wanted to keep her distance. He kept giving her these sad puppy dog eyes, but it seemed like every time she approached he would pull away. Reia felt like she was losing her friend.

They spent two weeks dancing around each other before she gave up. 

Of course, that's when he invited her to see a movie. She was so desperate to repair their friendship that she didn't confirm any of the details and then felt like an idiot. What if this was all some sort of game? 

She was relieved when she saw Soushi and Rika waiting in the lobby as she arrived. Was there something going on between them? It must be so much simpler to be a beta. 

They played some arcade games, but there was no sign of Yeong-Gi. Was he really going to stand her up? Them. Stand them up.

It was ten minutes past the start of their movie before he showed.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to stop by work and didn't think it would take so long." 

"Coulda answered my text, mate." Soushi started giving his friend a hard time. 

They decided to see a different movie that was starting in twenty minutes and played another round of air hockey before getting concessions. 

Yeong-Gi came up beside Reia, "Can I buy you some snacks?"

She looked up at him, but their eyes only met for a moment before he looked down. It felt like her stomach was full of knots.

"Sure"

He got everything she asked for and then some. 

"You know, you don't have to carry everything right?"

"It's okay. I've got it." 

She huffed and opened the door for her friends. They got pretty good seats since they were still a bit early. But it also left room for awkward silence as Soushi and Rika talked amongst themselves. 

It took a heart-racing minute for Reia to work up the courage to turn to Yeong-Gi and ask, "Are you okay?"

He looked caught off guard, so she continued, "I feel like you won't even talk to me anymore. Or look at me. I thought we were friends." She got more and more quiet as she went on, almost hoping he wouldn't hear the last part.

He was staring at her now and she hated it. Go figure. She felt far too vulnerable. 

"Reia. I like you."

She smiled just a bit, "Yeah. I kind of figured."

"Do you… want me to stop?."

This was the last thing she expected, "What." 

Now he looked away, "Would you be happier if I you alone?"

"No." She could feel tears threatening and bit the inside of her cheek, "Please-" She hated how much her 'omega' was showing.

"Hey. It's okay. I won't go anywhere." 

They fell into silence as she let out a shaky breath. Then he tentatively reached over to hold her hand, slipping his fingers between hers.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah." She turned away to hide her blush. After a few more beets of silence she looked back over at him, "I'm sorry. I know I'm not always easy to be around. And I still feel like I shouldn't trust you. But ever since you started keeping your distance, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." 

"You don't need to apologize. I… I'm okay with taking it slow." His breath caught after that, like he'd just realized what he said. 

She gave him some time to recover. Mostly because her heart was in her throat too. She was sure they were both as red as could be. It was a good thing the lights had dimmed a moment before. The first preview began to play, but they were caught in their own little world. 

In the end, Yeong-Gi had to lean in to be heard. Reia could feel his breath ghost over her ear, and his scent from this close was nearly overwhelming.

"Will you go out with me?" 


End file.
